What to Expect When You’re Installing

Logos Bible Software 4 is a professional-level power-tool. Ultimately, it exists to help us facilitate the most worthy pursuit in the universe—God—knowing, glorifying, enjoying, worshipping, and telling others about Him. If you were blessed enough to obtain it, would you want anything less than a professional-level power-tool to even scratch the surface of this inexhaustible and monumental task?

Just like other professional-level software packages that say, for example, run nuclear power plants, you can imagine Logos Bible Software 4 is going to take more than 30 seconds to download, install and get set-up… a lot more. It’s not a toy after all, it’s a professional-level power-tool.

Logos Bible Software 4 is exciting and we know you’ll want to play with your new purchase right away, but remember this one time investment in the proper process will pay dividends for years to come. Here’s what to expect.

So, you just purchased or upgraded to Logos 4 and, being confident in your internet connection, you chose the download option. What should you expect from the whole process?

There are three steps to getting set up to use your new software, and the entire process can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days (worst case scenario), depending on (1) the speed of your internet access, (2) the speed of your computer, and (3) the size of your library.

Step 1: Installation and Downloading

After purchase you will be prompted to download Logos4Setup.exe, which is a small (322KB) installer. Once the download finishes, double-click the file to install Logos 4. When installation is complete, you will be prompted to log in to your Logos.com account. Logos 4 will then begin downloading the resources for your package.

Installing a base package is going to require the downloading and installation of many resources and, depending on the number of resources you have in your pre-existing library, could mean many GBs for you to download. Your internet connection and download speeds are going to affect the downloading process and you might want to start the installation process in the evening and leave it to run overnight.

TIP: Remember, if you are upgrading from a previous Libronix installation your licenses need to be synced in order for Logos 4 to know to transfer and install books that you already have in your collection! This can be done by simply going to Tools > Library Management > Synchronize Licenses in Libronix. If you do not have this option you are running an older version of Libronix DLS and should update to the latest version or call Customer Support at 800-875-6467 for assistance.

After you sync your licenses, enter your Customer ID (found under Help > About Libronix DLS) in your Logos.com account.

Step 2: Preparing Your Library

After your resources are downloaded, Logos 4 begins preparing your library.
During this procedure, Logos 4 is involved in finding files from your Logos 3 installation on your computer (if applicable), copying them to your resources folder, importing data into your Library Catalog, preparing Interlinear management, as well as a host of important processes.

Step 3: Indexing

When Logos 4 is done preparing your library, the program itself will open and you can begin exploring the wealth of tools and resources in your new base package. However, it’s not quite ready for full use yet. You’ll notice that an icon in the system tray indicates that Logos 4 in now indexing your library to enable you to do amazingly fast searches (more about the indexing process can be found here).

You will begin to enjoy the layout and ease of Logos Bible Software 4 during the indexing process but indexing is an integral part of installation. The power of Logos 4 is not realized until all of your resources are fully indexed. When the indexing is complete you will begin to see exactly what Bible study reimagined looks like.

So, once your computer starts indexing, go enjoy the holiday season by spending time with your family or go bake some cookies (and send some to the Logos office). Once indexing is completed, we are confident you will find that the wait was well worth it!

Comments

Jayson, would you describe the typical installation for those of us who have spotty internet access and have ordered the DVDs? I tend to always order the CDs or DVDs when purchasing more than a single book because of this issue in the past. Also thank everyone at Logos for keeping Bible studying at the forefront of technology with their hard work!

This is exactly what I needed… two weeks ago when I was installing Logos4. This would have alleviated a lot of frustration with unrealistic expectations because it clarifies the steps and navigates you through the uncertainty.
Can I make a suggestion – put this article on the download page where a user who just clicked the download link will definitely see it (he might miss it if it is only on the blog).
Although your analogy with the nuclear power plant software is logical, what creates all of the frustration is customer’s experience: no other software on the planet requires 9Gb downloads and 2 days of indexing. So, it is NOT BAD that Logos4 puts its users through this ringer, it is just they DON’T EXPECT it. So, be upfront, let us know ahead of time and please tell us that it is going to take awhile – I think this article accomplishes just that, I love your pictures!
Vladimir

Good question, Mark. With the DVDs you are cutting out the issue of downloading your resources which can save you quite a bit of time. You will still have the preparing your library and indexing steps to go through. The time required for those tasks is dependent on the size of your library and the speed of your system. I hope that helps!

re the indexing…is there anything about the indexing process that is machine dependent? I’m sure you guys have beat the process to death before getting it to this point, but let me weigh in with a thought that may or may not have been considered.
(1) Assumption: Logos 4 will largely be sold, at this point at least, with pre-defined packages
(2) Assumption: Most users will have many books that are already included in the packages or will (potentially) see the majority of their libraries become the new package.
(3) Assumption: Per prior statements, when books are added after the initial installation, they are indexed into a supplemental index until the size of that index exceeds 25% or so of the main index
Suggestion: Can you provide an initial index for each of the pre-defined packages as part of the installation and then simply index existing books that are NOT part of the package into the supplement until they exceed the threshold?
It would seem that a huge amount of the initial index time is spent doing the exact same thing for every single installation, especially for the brand new users.
just a thought, and almost surely already considered and ruled out for any number of reasons, but I just thought I’d throw it out there on the remote chance it hadn’t been
Charles

Charles,
Wow! This is the reason we have the best customers in the business.
We are constantly streamlining the installation and indexing issues. The supplemental indexing was a solution to the problem of having to re-index your entire library every time something was added to it. These are the kinds of things we will be revisiting regularly until we are sure we are providing the best possible solutions to the challenges at hand.
One of the hurdles that we face in pre-indexing content for packages right now is related to disk space (for those loading from a disk) and raising the required downloaded content up another couple GBs.
Thank you for the well thought out comment!

Some resources like The Theological Journal Library can only be installed using Logos 3. You have to install them on Logos 3, sync your licenses and then load Logos 4 which will then find the Journals in Logos 3 and install them on Logos 4. (I am literally doing this while I’m typing this comment.) There are also some features in Logos 3 that are currently not in Logos 4 (like being able to search for topics). So I am not going to delete Logos 3 until these issues are fixed.
In spite of all of the problems with Logos 4 I still think that it will be a much better product than Logos 4 once all of the bugs and problems are corrected. There are many things about Logos 4 that I like a lot!

I agree wholeheartedly with Jonathan! (I’m in the process of downloading my 1.9GB right now…)
It would be great to have something on our home page that lets us know when we have new or updated resources and encourages us to use them!

Logos,
I have not read all post so apologize if this comment is a repeat on some issues. I just got back from Logos 4 camp in Nashville. The tool is unbelievably improved and an awesome tool to do study and sermon prep. You have really done an awesome job.
A couple of weeks ago I was very frustrated heres why…
I first discovered after buying and several attempts to load that it simply was not going to work. I would either have to get a new PC or return it. The size was huge (just leaders library). My Laptop was just 2 years old, but that meant 50GB hard drive 512RAM.
I did by a new PC, and maybe needed to anyway, but my upgrade went from about a hundred bucks to seven hundred.
Next it was the most extensive software load I have seen in a really long time. And I remember loading 26 3.5 floppies to get Microsoft office loaded on a 286.
With that said, after using the tool, I now understand the payoff is great. But, the main frustration during the whole process was lack of information from the sales literature, from the salesman and from the installation process. Perhaps salesman should have said unless you are going to purchase a new PC then you should not upgrade. Then during the actual loading/indexing process. “this may take awhile” was simply not quite enough to go on. A timer or some sort of detail would have been most helpful. I canceled the process twice with the old laptop because I thought it simply froze up (and I’m still not sure that it didn’t). Sometimes loaders give to much info. in this case it was not enough.
Again it was all worth it – I’m sure I will be a loyal customer for many more decades. Thanks for all your hard work – I know future upgrades will be more streamlined – keep up the good work and God bless. Scott Reeder >>

Jonathan, Eleanor, and Mark,
Thanks for the comments. Last nights downloads were resource updates. Eleanor’s suggestion is a good one, and I am currently looking at ways that we can communicate what resources have been updated.
At the moment you can do a search for something common (like “the”) in your library and resources that were updated should be in your New Resource file.

really getting into Logos 4 today for the first time. am amazed. the program seems to anticipate what I will need and already have that material up and running before I have to click/go look for it. most everything seems to be one click away (or less). it’s awesome! great work.

I recently installed ‘The New International Commentary on old and new testament’ under Logos 3 and wonder if I have to do anything to have it updated on Logos 4.
One of the things which I always wanted to find out was a way to know the books included in a CD – for example in the above case what are the books included in the ‘New International Commentary on Old and New Testament’. Is it one book or several volumes and how are they identified in Logos 3 and Logos 4.

I got charged for overdownloading my cap for $300, all because I was not aware of the huge download requirement for the indexing. It was doing it in the background without me being aware of it. Can anything be done about this so people like me who have download cap will not have to flush down money unnecessarily?

Thamfuan,
If you go to Tools and then to Program Settings, you can choose to turn off the Automatically Download Updates setting. It will still check for updates and tell you when there are updates available.

Kurien,
You should be able to go to the Library in 4 and do a search for “New International Commentary” (make sure to use the quotations or else it will search for everything containing any of those words) and that should pull up just those 40 resources.
If you do not see those resources in Logos 4 then make sure your licenses are synced in 3 and your customer ID is in your Logos.com account (details are found in this blog post). If that doesn’t work go ahead and call Customer Service at 800-875-6467 for assistance.

If you click on the icon of any book and click on read aloud it will cue the Windows audio reader to begin reading that resource. You can also click CTRL+R to cue the reader.
You can search your Logos 4 Library to confirm that your resources from 3 are present.

I’m a regular user of Logo 3, and downloaded Logo4 recently. I’m very satisfied the running of the version, and am impressed by its layout and the nicer looking.
I’ve a question. I usually place the resource folder in the external drive, instead of attaching the resource file folder under the Logo 3 program folder. In Logo 4, what should I need to do to configure the Logo4 to know the resource folder if I place it in other drive or folder?
Besides, where to find in the Logos4 the configuration settings: such as backup license, synchronize and others etc. as in the former version? It seems that the new version misses a lot of these settings from the Logo3 version. Please advice with a lot of thanks.

Scott,
Thank you for your comment. I am sorry for your frustration and I am thankful that you have pressed through and have experienced how worth it the process was.
We are doing our best (and this blog is an example) at trying to communicate the information needed to our users to make their transition as simple as possible.
Jayson

Andrew,
At present Logos 4 does not have an option to look in different directories for resources, or to manually set a resource path.
As far as your license is concerned all you have to do is sign in with your Logos account, your license is maintained and synced automatically in Logos 4 and does not require maintenance.
I hope this helps,

So what happens if indexing is accidentally stopped? I accidentally closed Logos 4 when it was indexing and now it is stalled. What do I do to get it to resume? It won’t move forward no matter how long I let my computer sit; it still says only 11% is indexed….Grrrrr.